Materials

Ask your child to go on a 'magnetic' hunt. How many things can they find around the home that are magnetic?Are all metal objects magnetic? Children often think that all metals are attracted to magnets whereas it is only iron and some iron alloys (e.g. steel, cobolt and nickel) that are attracted. Some stainless steels are not magnetic. Some 1p and 2p 'copper' coins are attracted to magnets as they have a thin copper coating over a steel disc. Aluminium cans are not magnetic whereas 'tins' are largely made of iron and are magnetic. Non-metallic materials are not magnetic.

Children often get the concepts of dissolving and melting mixed up. Dissolving is where a solid mixes with the liquid to form a solution; melting is where a solid changes states to liquid form.